Keep kids safe on moving day

With April and the spring season now well underway, there are a great many families all over the United States who are in the process of moving house, and this number will only continue to grow with the advent of summer. Making a move is, of course, often a very hectic period, and it is vital that families do not forget about safety in the midst of the hustle and bustle of relocation.

Parents are being reminded that children can be particularly vulnerable during moving and there can be new or existing dangers when moving into a new home that parents need to be aware of and vigilant about. For instance, a new house may come complete with windows that lack screen guards, boxes and furniture being stacked very high all over the home, loose bottle caps on household chemicals or medicines, and drapes and window coverings that have hanging cords.

Window covering cords have proved to be a strangulation hazard to toddlers and infants. Parents or caregivers are being urged to check their new window coverings to ensure that there are no such hanging cords and, if there are some present, to have them removed and replaced with retrofit kits or the safer products of today as soon as possible.

To make sure that children are protected from such hazards during relocation, parents are advised to keep them off-site and with a babysitter or other family members on moving day, and to install window guards to stop accidents.